Origin of the Solar System.


   The Papers place the time of origin of the solar system at 4.5 billion years at a time when the Hubble expansion of the universe was (and still is) thought to be the best indicator of the age of the universe. In 1952, it was discovered that the then current estimate of universe age of about 2 billion years was incorrect because the wrong type of  Cepheid variable star had been used to help make the estimate. A revised estimate was about 4 to 5 billion years, which made the universe the same age as the Urantia Paper's estimate for the age of the solar system.

   In 1955, the year of printing for The Urantia Book, a radiometric measurement of the age of meteorite material gave a value of 4.6 billion years. Some astronomers thought this would be a valid estimate of the age of the solar system.

   Was it possible for the Urantia Paper's estimate to have been based on this measurement? To do so would have required a considerable rewriting of other material on the evolutionary history of our planet. The old style metal printing plates for the book were with the printer. It seems likely that the time factor alone rules out such a possibility. Other factors also need consideration.

   The hypothetical "expert" responsible should have known that many of the elements found on our planet must have origin in stars that have completed their life cycle and exploded in a nova. The cosmic dust that gave us the solar system is of secondary origin, and not from any Big Bang, so must be considerably younger than the universe itself to allow for galaxy formation and recycling of stars. Thus the Hubble-based estimate of universe age and the meteorite estimate of solar system age were quite incompatible. But did the radiometric estimate of a meteorite's age really reflect the age of the solar system? While possible, there was still insufficient information to be certain.

   So even if the time factor permitted use of the meteorite data, because of the conflicting evidence, for this hypothetical "expert" to do so would appear to have been irresponsible.

Home Page    Previous Page    Next Page